27 replies to this topic

[Lordoftherings]

Who was that masked man!?! A mere 48 hours ago a frustrated and dejected Kobe Bryant walked off the court after a bitter defeat. A mere 48 hours ago the LAKERS heart was called into question by an unrelenting media anxious to throw dirt on our corpse. Then it happened Kobe the Legend did what he does best. He closed out a must win game to keep the LAKERS alive to fight another day. There was plenty of trash talking and a lot of physical play, but in the end the LAKERS hit free throw after free throw to win this battle. There were moments when it looked like either team might pull away and What started out as a slugfest turned into a chess game. Mike Brown's adjustments produced a true team effort. A display of scoring balance and faith in each other that had been lacking for most of the season. Six LAKERS were in double digits tonight and the stoic demeanor of a proven Champion weathered one run after another by the speedy Thunder. Intensity and focus YOU COULD FEEL from the opening tip off Led to an early lead by the LAKERS. Not in our house not tonight Was the mood at Staples. If there was reason to lament game two's disasterous finish and ponder the unthinkable there's now good reason to believe that the improbable is now possible. SESSIONS turned it up a notch to the delight of the LAKER faithful. BLAKE reminded people that he could hit the three after a devasting miss just a game ago. The DEFENSIVE intensity the LAKERS brought tonight was a thing of beauty to watch. The tandem of GASOL and BYNUM crashing the boards was a welcome sight, and Metta Was Metta in a good way tonight. Most impressive was the focus the LAKERS displayed at the charity stripe, hitting 41 of 42 foul shots. The PAYOFF for an aggressive rim attack.
I for one liked what I saw tonight and the Purple and Gold seem to be on the same page. We've got a long way to go to get where were going and tonight our LAKERS took a big step in that direction. Tonight gave us reason to celebrate and feel good but this war is far from over and game four promises to be even more intense if that's possible. The Preceeding Victory Sponsored by Kobe the LEGEND Bryant. We Love you MAMBA.

[Hayter]

are you a writer?

the lakers did a good job last night and kobe did an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the line, but his poor shooting is a major problem. 7 for 18, 9 for 25, 9 for 25 is not gonna get it done. he needs to find a way to be more efficient or they aren't getting out of this round.

[Nanizm]

the lakers did a good job last night and kobe did an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the line, but his poor shooting is a major problem. 7 for 18, 9 for 25, 9 for 25 is not gonna get it done. he needs to find a way to be more efficient or they aren't getting out of this round.

They should be up 2-1 with Kobe's shooting so far in this series. So it shows they can win despite his poor shooting.

Getting up a decent shot is a task in itself. So yea he isnt shooting well but he is getting mostly good shots that he worked to get himself in those positions to take them. Most of the Lakers players cant even put themselves in position to take a decent shot without help from a play or screen.

[Hayter]

They should be up 2-1 with Kobe's shooting so far in this series. So it shows they can win despite his poor shooting.

Getting up a decent shot is a task in itself. So yea he isnt shooting well but he is getting mostly good shots that he worked to get himself in those positions to take them. Most of the Lakers players cant even put themselves in position to take a decent shot without help from a play or screen.

But they’re not . They’re down 1 – 2 and if kobe shot the ball better, they would have taken home court advantage away from them and be up 2 – 1 and be in excellent position to win the series. Now it’s an uphill struggle.

Just because he’s better at creating his own shots than everyone else doesn’t mean they’re good shots. Most of his shots are forced and low percentage shots with defenders right in his grill.

And what’s wrong with getting a shot off a screen? I thought that was the point of running an offensive play. Move the ball around, set picks to get players open, let your big men establish position, etc. It’s highly effective. Maybe he should try it more often to get his shooting % up. Kevin Durant seems to utilize picks very effectively. So much so that the lakers don’t have an answer for it as their pick and roll defense is one of their major weaknesses?

[Lordoftherings]

are you a writer?

the lakers did a good job last night and kobe did an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the line, but his poor shooting is a major problem. 7 for 18, 9 for 25, 9 for 25 is not gonna get it done. he needs to find a way to be more efficient or they aren't getting out of this round.

I'll take the 36 points however Kobe gets them. I also think you are discounting the amount of energy Kobe is expending on playing defense. Certainly we would all like to see Kobe shoot over 50 percent, but Kobe for his career shoots about 48 percent and that's without playing lock down Defense. The PRIMARY statistic that should be focused on here is the LAKERS Defense holding shooting percentage for the THUNDER to under 40 percent in game three. The LAKERS have turned things around with their defense and strong rebounding. The THUNDER were a blur scoring points this season averaging 103 a game. For the playoffs they have dipped below 100 averaging about 97. The LAKERS handing the THUNDER their first playoff loss after sweeping the MAVS is impressive to say the least.

The LAKERS must keep up their defensive intensity and execute at the line. Both of these things work in the LAKERS favor by allowing the LAKERS to extend rest periods and slow the game pace. Ironically the THUNDER were better in the paint statistically, BUT stats CAN be misleading. The THUNDER had quite a few FASTBREAK points in game three to the tune of 23 to 7. LAYUPS count as in the paint points, and we should all be thankful that there weren't more. I like what I'm seeing with the LAKERS CLOSING OUT on three shooting. This is a critical task that disrupts the game flow for the THUNDER. Granted the THUNDER missed some good looks from behind the three point line, but sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. If the LAKERS can limit turnovers and continue to rebound we could see the THUNDER start to crack. The LAKERS have been successful when they've been the BULLY on the boards. We saw that trend in game two. So Kobe's shooting percentage is not a major concern if the bottom line result is a LAKERS victory. I'll have to agree with Coach Brown on this point.

QUOTABLE: "You're not going to get a better look than a free throw against these guys."
-- Lakers coach Mike Brown


Just my two cents.

[Lordoftherings]

"are you a writer?"

No Sir. I am just a passionate LAKER fan in good times or bad. /go_lakers.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':go_lakers:' />

[Lordoftherings]

They should be up 2-1 with Kobe's shooting so far in this series. So it shows they can win despite his poor shooting.

I agree.

[Hayter]

I'll take the 36 points however Kobe gets them. I also think you are discounting the amount of energy Kobe is expending on playing defense. Certainly we would all like to see Kobe shoot over 50 percent, but Kobe for his career shoots about 48 percent and that's without playing lock down Defense.

come on man. we all know you're a smart guy and have the writing skills of a yale professor but do some research before you post crap that you don't think we'll catch. kobe has NEVER in this entire 16 years shot that high.

and what do you mean, he shoots about 48% without playing lock down defense. was that supposed to say WITH playing lock down defense or are you saying he doesn't play defense?

and what kind of logic is that? he can shoot like crap and the lakers can still win? how does that make sense? 2 of the 3 games so far have been decided in the last plays. you need to execute. if your superstar can't execute, how can you say they can win? according to nanizm, you win with your superstars so your superstar has to have good games.

there are no moral victories. they are 1 - 2, not 2 - 1. if kobe shot more than 39%, and made a couple more games in game 2, they would be 2 - 1 so that just proves we need him to be more efficient?

[Hayter]

Who was that masked man!?! A mere 48 hours ago a frustrated and dejected Kobe Bryant walked off the court after a bitter defeat. A mere 48 hours ago the LAKERS heart was called into question by an unrelenting media anxious to throw dirt on our corpse. Then it happened Kobe the Legend did what he does best. He closed out a must win game to keep the LAKERS alive to fight another day. There was plenty of trash talking and a lot of physical play, but in the end the LAKERS hit free throw after free throw to win this battle. There were moments when it looked like either team might pull away and What started out as a slugfest turned into a chess game. Mike Brown's adjustments produced a true team effort. A display of scoring balance and faith in each other that had been lacking for most of the season. Six LAKERS were in double digits tonight and the stoic demeanor of a proven Champion weathered one run after another by the speedy Thunder. Intensity and focus YOU COULD FEEL from the opening tip off Led to an early lead by the LAKERS. Not in our house not tonight Was the mood at Staples. If there was reason to lament game two's disasterous finish and ponder the unthinkable there's now good reason to believe that the improbable is now possible. SESSIONS turned it up a notch to the delight of the LAKER faithful. BLAKE reminded people that he could hit the three after a devasting miss just a game ago. The DEFENSIVE intensity the LAKERS brought tonight was a thing of beauty to watch. The tandem of GASOL and BYNUM crashing the boards was a welcome sight, and Metta Was Metta in a good way tonight. Most impressive was the focus the LAKERS displayed at the charity stripe, hitting 41 of 42 foul shots. The PAYOFF for an aggressive rim attack.
I for one liked what I saw tonight and the Purple and Gold seem to be on the same page. We've got a long way to go to get where were going and tonight our LAKERS took a big step in that direction. Tonight gave us reason to celebrate and feel good but this war is far from over and game four promises to be even more intense if that's possible. The Preceeding Victory Sponsored by Kobe the LEGEND Bryant. We Love you MAMBA.

you sound just like nanizm. KOBE redeems himself? how about lakers redeem themselves. We love you mamba? are you serious? i don't buy that you're a lakers fan. I think you're a kobe fan.

They should be up 2-1 with Kobe's shooting so far in this series. So it shows they can win despite his poor shooting.

i guess they should be up 3 -1 now, right? btw, how can you defend kobe's shooting percentage for months then admit (see above comment), that he shoots poorly?

you're looking like a real genius right about now. i bet you go MIA now!!!

I agree.

kobe had a good shooting night tonight. he was on fire until the end where he missed 4-5 shots. another game that came down to the last shots. how can anybody in their right mind say that we can win with our biggest superstar shooting poorly?

[Los Lakers]

you sound just like nanizm. KOBE redeems himself? how about lakers redeem themselves. We love you mamba? are you serious? i don't buy that you're a lakers fan. I think you're a kobe fan.



i guess they should be up 3 -1 now, right? btw, how can you defend kobe's shooting percentage for months then admit (see above comment), that he shoots poorly?

you're looking like a real genius right about now. i bet you go MIA now!!!



kobe had a good shooting night tonight. he was on fire until the end where he missed 4-5 shots. another game that came down to the last shots. how can anybody in their right mind say that we can win with our biggest superstar shooting poorly?

I agree, I'm sorry, I like Kobe, but this Kobe love and defending him at all costs is really getting out of hand and ridiculous to even read.

[Lordoftherings]

I agree, I'm sorry, I like Kobe, but this Kobe love and defending him at all costs is really getting out of hand and ridiculous to even read.

No I'm a LAKER fan that loves all that KOBE has done for our storied franchise. I've seen ONLY one other player with more commitment than KOBE in all my many years watching the NBA. Besides let me let you in on some inside information... You don't get to define me or dictate how I express my support for the LAKERS. I don't live by your ideals of what constitutes being a fan nor do I feel any need to be validated by you or any other LAKER FAN.

[Hayter]

No I'm a LAKER fan that loves all that KOBE has done for our storied franchise. I've seen ONLY one other player with more commitment than KOBE in all my many years watching the NBA. Besides let me let you in on some inside information... You don't get to define me or dictate how I express my support for the LAKERS. I don't live by your ideals of what constitutes being a fan nor do I feel any need to be validated by you or any other LAKER FAN.

i'm sure that was directed at me and not los lakers.

from reading all your post, you're a kobe groupie like nanizm. how about i buy you two some towels to wash his balls, or better yet, wash each others balls.

both of you put kobe ahead of the lakers and both of you have no idea what your talking about cause your blinded by your love for kobe.

okay, tough guy?

[Los Lakers]

No I'm a LAKER fan that loves all that KOBE has done for our storied franchise. I've seen ONLY one other player with more commitment than KOBE in all my many years watching the NBA. Besides let me let you in on some inside information... You don't get to define me or dictate how I express my support for the LAKERS. I don't live by your ideals of what constitutes being a fan nor do I feel any need to be validated by you or any other LAKER FAN.

And who in God's name is "defining, dictating or even validating" you? I'm just expressing my simple thought on how I feel and you come on and bite my head off. Dude relax. You're so obsessed with Kobe, you're starting to sound like him on his last interview with yahoo sports. Why is it ok to praise and glorify him so much for all the good he's done for the Lakers, but when we mention any of his small faults, it's like against the law or something and we're thrown to the lions. Wow...

[Lordoftherings]

come on man. we all know you're a smart guy and have the writing skills of a yale professor but do some research before you post crap that you don't think we'll catch. kobe has NEVER in this entire 16 years shot that high.

and what do you mean, he shoots about 48% without playing lock down defense. was that supposed to say WITH playing lock down defense or are you saying he doesn't play defense?

and what kind of logic is that? he can shoot like crap and the lakers can still win? how does that make sense? 2 of the 3 games so far have been decided in the last plays. you need to execute. if your superstar can't execute, how can you say they can win? according to nanizm, you win with your superstars so your superstar has to have good games.

there are no moral victories. they are 1 - 2, not 2 - 1. if kobe shot more than 39%, and made a couple more games in game 2, they would be 2 - 1 so that just proves we need him to be more efficient?

You're Right. I made the cardinal error of not verifying my data before posting. KOBE still shoots 45 percent career. So not off by all that much. As For the reference to KOBE's Defense I was talking about this playoff Series specifically. And to answer you question... No KOBE doesn't play defense consistently. KOBE doesn't take charges often. That doesn't change the fact that 36 points is a huge contribution. The LAKERS just dropped game three and I'm a little Verklempt at the moment so You'll have to forvive the less than stellar reply. KOBE shot the ball pretty well tonight, and the LAKERS played well almost the entire game with the exception of the inexplicable three point shots that allowed the THUNDER to close the gap and Pau's abortion of a pass that allowed the THUNDER to drive a stake into the LAKERS heart. Disappointed is an understatement. There's nothing more frustrating than watching your team play so well and then fold in the fourth quarter.

[Lordoftherings]

i'm sure that was directed at me and not los lakers.

from reading all your post, you're a kobe groupie like nanizm. how about i buy you two some towels to wash his balls, or better yet, wash each others balls.

both of you put kobe ahead of the lakers and both of you have no idea what your talking about cause your blinded by your love for kobe.

okay, tough guy?

You're entitled to your opinion just like anyone else. All of the unnecessary and childish behavior says more about you than me. I can't make it any clearer than to say I don't owe you an explanation nor do I really care what some faceless geek at a computer thinks about some comments I made about one of the game's greatest players. I mean really kid what's with all the references to balls? Is that really the depth of your character? My intention was to have some pleasant conversations about a team we all mutually love. Excuse the fuck out of me for rooting for my team. Somehow you've managed to turn something as simple as that into something ugly and unpleasant. Congratulations on being a complete asshole.

[Lordoftherings]

And who in God's name is "defining, dictating or even validating" you? I'm just expressing my simple thought on how I feel and you come on and bite my head off. Dude relax. You're so obsessed with Kobe, you're starting to sound like him on his last interview with yahoo sports. Why is it ok to praise and glorify him so much for all the good he's done for the Lakers, but when we mention any of his small faults, it's like against the law or something and we're thrown to the lions. Wow...

I didn't mean to post such a nasty reply to you. So I apologize. Another thing I do criticize KOBE as well as praise him, I enjoy going to LAKER games. I spend a good chunk of change for the Privilege. I guess I'm just not a real negative guy. I AM JUST unbelievably pissed off at the game four loss, so you're right I went overboard.

[Hayter]

You're entitled to your opinion just like anyone else. All of the unnecessary and childish behavior says more about you than me. I can't make it any clearer than to say I don't owe you an explanation nor do I really care what some faceless geek at a computer thinks about some comments I made about one of the game's greatest players. I mean really kid what's with all the references to balls? Is that really the depth of your character? My intention was to have some pleasant conversations about a team we all mutually love. Excuse the fuck out of me for rooting for my team. Somehow you've managed to turn something as simple as that into something ugly and unpleasant. Congratulations on being a complete asshole.

yes that was childish behavior. just frustrated as hell last night watching the lakers outplay the thunder until the last minutes and watch them give away this series. nanizm is usally my #1 target but decided to throw you in there as well.... ha. no hard feelings.

[EL GRANDE WHOPPO]

yes that was childish behavior. just frustrated as hell last night watching the lakers outplay the thunder until the last minutes and watch them give away this series. nanizm is usally my #1 target but decided to throw you in there as well.... ha. no hard feelings.

Childish behavior by Kobe as well throwing Pau under the bus. Gasol might as well get his bags packed because he is gone for good. All I can say is what a hypocrite Kobe Bryant is. Seriously, Gasol basically made the same freaking stupid pass that Kobe did in Game #2. This series was lost in Game #2 and that one was all on Kobe. Rarely if ever can a team lose a game on the road like that and rebound to win a series.He is shooting less than 40% for this series and yet has the nerve to blame his teammates for his 2-10 4th quarter by saying that they were not aggressive enough. What a freaking joke. Pau and Bynum should have thrown him under the bus after Game #2. This Laker team is playing exactly now the way they have all season long. This series is no suprise. They appear incapable of putting a complete 48 minute game togetrher and they cannot play on the road. The real problem with this team is not Pau, Bynum and Kobe. The supporting cast is the real problem. If they are smart they move Pau for somne decent pieces and try to build a deeper team for next season. They also need more balance and to quit relying on Kobe so much because he is wearing down and will never admit it. Management knows this and that is why they went after Chris Paul who is one of the few players in the league with a strong enough personality to stand up to Kobe.

[EL GRANDE WHOPPO]

You're Right. I made the cardinal error of not verifying my data before posting. KOBE still shoots 45 percent career. So not off by all that much. As For the reference to KOBE's Defense I was talking about this playoff Series specifically. And to answer you question... No KOBE doesn't play defense consistently. KOBE doesn't take charges often. That doesn't change the fact that 36 points is a huge contribution. The LAKERS just dropped game three and I'm a little Verklempt at the moment so You'll have to forvive the less than stellar reply. KOBE shot the ball pretty well tonight, and the LAKERS played well almost the entire game with the exception of the inexplicable three point shots that allowed the THUNDER to close the gap and Pau's abortion of a pass that allowed the THUNDER to drive a stake into the LAKERS heart. Disappointed is an understatement. There's nothing more frustrating than watching your team play so well and then fold in the fourth quarter.

Kobe is a pretty big reason that the Lakers are losing this series. He is shooting less the 40% from the field and is getting torched consistently on the defensive end. He shot 2-10 in the 4th quarter last night of a one possesssion game He has also had some brutally bad turnovers in this series that have led to breakaway dunks.Had he been playing more efficiently than this series is probably tied right now. The myth that Artest can defend Durant should be over by now as well. As Hayter said he has one chance of stopping him and that is with his quick hands. Other than that he has a slim chance and slim just left town. Durant' s game has evolved and Artest has gotten older and definitely slower. Durant can either just shoot over him or drive around him basically whenever he wants.The Laker bench is flat out getting destroyed in this series and that should not be a suprise to anyone that follows the NBA. By the way Derek Fisher was a -10 last night in 15 minutes on the court. If Scott Brooks has a brain in his head (which he does) Fisher will play no more than 10 minutes in Game #5 unless it is a blowout. It is hilarious to watch him take the ball to the hole these days. He is lucky to hit the rim on a layup attempt. If OKC moves on to face the Spurs I think that they are in big trouble unless Durant and Russell go absolutely crazy.

[Nanizm]

i guess they should be up 3 -1 now, right? btw, how can you defend kobe's shooting percentage for months then admit (see above comment), that he shoots poorly?

you're looking like a real genius right about now. i bet you go MIA now!!!



kobe had a good shooting night tonight. he was on fire until the end where he missed 4-5 shots. another game that came down to the last shots. how can anybody in their right mind say that we can win with our biggest superstar shooting poorly?

You have the intelligence of a 2 year old. I am actually insulting a 2 year old because they know to tell you when they’ve pooped themselves. I cant say that you’d figure that out.

You also have some obsession with me because you hang on my every word.

Up until game 4 Kobe was shooting poorly in this series. Poorly is my assessment of his shooting, you can call it what the hell you want. He shot under 40%. His best game was game 4 at 43%. -> I <- consider that poor. But I also don’t fault him for being how he is which is an aggressive scorer. He should shoot more efficiently, but he should never stop being aggressive; especially when everybody else on the team has the tendency to be passive. Also, because he got the line in high numbers and hit his free throws in both game 3 and 4, he actaully was an efficient scorer, just didnt shot well from the field.

I didn’t necessarily defend Kobe’s shooting percentage, my argument was that 3% drop or difference in FG% was not that significant. It barely registers on a game to game basis. You have a very hard time separating the main point of an argument and focus on sup points that aren’t being argued by themselves.

The Lakers almost won with Kobe shooting poorly. You cant argue that. The Lakers could easily be up 3-1 with very few changes that have nothing to do with Kobe’s poor shooting. You want to focus on Kobe as the main reason because of his poor shooting, that’s fine. That’s not wrong either. That obviously makes you feel real good. Any loss in any game in just about any sport, you can point to numerous areas as to why a team loss. Its no different here.

But here is the main reason that the Lakers are just falling short of beating the Thunder:

Poor execution in closing moments of games; costly turnovers, inability to get a good shot.

Lack of skilled athletes to match up with Thunders athletic perimeter star players. This is also why they struggle to get back to shooters and slow on rotations.

Disappointing interior defense and rebounding. The bigs aren’t making an impact around the rim despite 14 feet of big men guarding the paint. The Lakers have won the rebounding margin in the series but just by a bit and in crucial moments, they given up big rebounds.

Thunder stars pounced the Lakers stars. Durant and Westbrook each have had big games. They have had stretches where they have taken over. Harden has been dominant at times as well. Kobe has had a few but not enough. Where have those moments been for Bynum and Gasol? I thought a trio of Kobe/Gasol/Bynum would be enough, I was wrong. I overestimated what Gasol could still bring. I thought he could still be that player from 3 years ago.